Webb said the greatest need is for “Purina” brand dog food, along with monetary donations. Drop off points for both have been set up at Lillian’s, 171 S. Main St; Forest Mall Menter Court (J.C. Penney entrance), and Head to Tail, 154 Satterlee St.

Rescue organizations that are able to take dogs can visit the shelter’s Facebook page to get information.

Siberian huskies — 68 in all — filled all of the kennels at the Fond du Lac Humane Society this weekend, with multiple dogs to a cage.

When brought in, they looked filthy, their coats matted over thin frames.

On its website, Howl'n Wind Siberians appeared to be a first-class breeder of champion Siberian huskies. But officials who rescued them from property in the town of Friendship north of Fond du Lac last Thursday found dead animals, dogs in various stages of starvation, a dead goat in the house and a pile of burning animal carcasses that apparently were used to feed the dogs.

Many of the dogs were found tied with short leads to stakes in a barn.

"It was one of the most awful things I have seen," Renee Webb, shelter manager at the Fond du Lac Humane Society, said of the conditions at Howl'n Wind Siberians, W6305 Chestnut Road.

Shelter volunteers and employees worked with Fond du Lac County Sheriff's office deputies to remove 68 dogs and 60 goats from the property on Thursday. Webb said many of the dogs were dehydrated, one was missing a foot and others were missing their ears.

In addition to goats and dogs, the farm housed 10 chickens and geese, three peacocks and a horse.

The humane society is caring for the dogs and is taking applications for adoption.

'Awful' conditions

A sheriff's deputy stopped at the hobby farm about 11 p.m. on Wednesday to follow up on a calf that had wandered onto Highway 45, just south of the Winnebago County line. A 10-year-old boy answered the door and the deputy saw a dead goat in the house, according to the sheriff's report. Donald Smidt, owner of the kennel, returned about 11:30 p.m. and fed the dogs while the deputy was present, a sheriff's official said.

The child was taken into protective custody by the County Department of Social Services, Sheriff's Office Lt. Cameron McGee said.

Sheriff Mick Fink said the greatest concern was getting the boy to safety. He described conditions for the child and animals as "awful" and the situation at the humane society Friday as critical.

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"I don't want to lose sight of our first actions when we arrived there and that was to get the child out of there and into protective custody," he said. "He is now in foster care and social services will be sorting things out with the parents."

Webb said one dog was euthanized at the scene for aggression and another was put down for health reasons. A third dog was euthanized at the Humane Society. Smidt surrendered all the dogs to the humane society, she said.

According to McGee, a farmer from Oshkosh has purchased the goats from Smidt.

Webb said a pile of animal carcasses on the farm was "as tall as I am." Those animals appear to be pieces of cows that were being used to feed the dogs, Fink said. Detectives are determining where the carcasses came from.

Howl'n Winds Siberians has been breeding and showing champion Siberian huskies since 1985, according to its website, which was taken down on Friday afternoon. A musher, Smidt has been featured in The Reporter and was a volunteer at the charity fundraiser Can't Depend on Snow Sled Dog Race held annually in Fond du Lac.

Dog sledder Mike Schwandt of Fond du Lac, organizer of the Can't Depend on Snow event, said one of his three huskies came from Howl'n Winds.

"I can't really comment on the situation because I haven't seen the dogs or the condition they are in," he said, adding that Smidt was always a welcome volunteer at the Fond du Lac sled dog race.

Charges pending

McGee said charges of animal neglect will be forwarded to the Fond du Lac County District Attorney's Office.

Town of Friendship Chairman Charles McCourt said numerous times through the years people have called town officials to report steer and horses that looked starved at the Chestnut Road property. He has heard that some farmers were known to give dead livestock to Smidt to feed to the dogs.

"People would call and say animals were dying out there, so we would go take a look and always find the animals in good shape with all of them being fed," McCourt said.

Denise Cwiok, who was listed on the website as Smidt's wife and partner, was issued a new kennel license this spring, according to Town of Friendship Treasurer Joan Hau, who said all 69 dogs were licensed and up to date on vaccinations.

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McCourt said possible revocation of the kennel license issued to Cwiok will depend on what legal steps are taken by Fond du Lac County.

The Reporter was able to reach Cwiok on Friday but she hung up the phone.

"I hadn't been out there for a couple years. It's tragic to see something like this happen," McCourt said.

Hard to understand

Smidt is listed as a participant in Alaska's 2007 Iditarod sled down race. According to the website Yukon Quest, he was withdrawn from the 2008 Iditarod for not providing the dog care expected of a Yukon Quest musher.

Karin Ferreri-Miller, president of Free Spirit Siberian Rescue in Harvard, Ill., which also serves Wisconsin, said there should be more laws in place to prevent "horrific" situations.

"Even in rescue we have to follow certain rules," she said. "There should be inspections on a regular basis. People have to be the eyes for the dogs."

Passed by the state Legislature last June, Wisconsin Act 90 regulates dog-breeding operations and requires veterinary examinations for dogs sold. But there is a lack of inspectors, said Eilene Ribbens-Rhode, director of the Wisconsin Puppy Mill project.

According to the Department of Trade, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Howl'n Winds was not licensed as a dog seller or dog facility operator.

Musher Jim Feyen of Siberian Outpost in Malone has 12 rescued huskies and said he hopes the situation doesn't place a black mark on people who love the sport of dog sledding.

"I haven't seen Don in a couple years. I think they were avoiding letting people know that things had gotten that bad. They just didn't let people come out to their kennel anymore," he said.